Does Emotion Regulation Predict Gains in Exercise-Induced Fitness? A Prospective Mixed-Effects Study with Elite Helicopter Pilots

David Cárdenas, Iker Madinabeitia, Francisco Alarcón and José C. Perales
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David Cárdenas: Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Iker Madinabeitia: Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Francisco Alarcón: Department of Didactic General and Specific Training, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
José C. Perales: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-10

Abstract: Emotion regulation (ER) is a strong predictor of different aspects of mental health and wellbeing. However, only recently has ER been examined in relation to physical activity and its effects on fitness. In the present study, 26 elite helicopter pilots, serving in the Spanish Air Force, were physically trained for 6 months, and their level of fitness (maximum oxygen consumption and time to exhaustion in a treadmill-running test) was assessed before and after that period. Additionally, two indices of emotion regulation (general adaptiveness of ER strategies, as measured by the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and negative urgency, as measured by the UPPS-P questionnaire) measured at baseline were used as prospective predictors of fitness improvement. After controlling for individual features, baseline fitness, and type of training, better emotion regulation strategies (more cognitive reappraisal plus less expressive suppression) predicted larger fitness gains ( p = 0.028). Incidental emotion regulation, as measured by the negative urgency index, failed to predict pre–post-fitness changes ( p = 0.734). These results suggest that fostering emotion regulation skills may improve the effectiveness of fitness training programs.

Keywords: emotion regulation; military; training; physical activity; fitness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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